Wagon end-gate.



P. L. MORGAN & L. FUNK.

WAGON END GATE.

APPLICATION FILED OUT. 6, 1013.

1,1 1 9,444. Patented Dec. 1, 1914.

A! NORRIS PEIERS CO PHOTO-LITHQ. WASHING roN. D I

FRANCIS IA- MORGAN AND IIOUIS FUNK, OF WAYLAND, IOWA.

WAGON END-GATE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 1, 1914.

Application filed October 6, 1913. Serial No. 794,168.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, Framers L. MORGAN and LOUIS FUNK, citizens of the United States of America, and residents of \Vayland, in the county of Henry and State of Iowa, have invented certain Improvements in Wagon, End-Gates, of which the following is a specification.

The object of this invention is to provide an improved construction for wagon endgates.

()ur invention consists in the construction, arrangement and co'ml iination of elements hereinafter set forth, pointed out in our claim and illustrated by the accompanying drawing, in which- Figure 1 is a rear end elevation showing our improvement applied to a wagon box in closed position. I ig. 2 is a plan of the same. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the same, dotted lines indicating the position assumed by the endgate when in open position.

In the construction of the device as shown the numeral 10 designates the bottom, 11, 12 the side-boards and .13, lithe inner cleats of a vagon box, which may be of any suitable construction except as modified in the particulars hereinafter noted. N otches are formed in the rear upper corners of the side-boards 11, 12 and brackets 15, 16 are mounted on the outer faces of said sideboards and extend through and fill said notches. Each bracket 15, 16 is formed with an irregular notch 17 opening at one side through the rear end of the bracket and an upstanding hook 18 forms the rear wall of said notch. A guide lug 19 is formed on each bracket and extends rearwardly across and is spaced, by the opening of the notch, from the hook 18. Each bracket also is formed with a retaining lug 20 extending downwardly within the notch from the base of the guide lug 19. The lower end of the retaining lug 20 is in a lower plane than the upper end of the hook 18, thus partially crossing the notch 17. Each bracket also is formed with a web or rib 21 on its upper margin and arched over the inner portion or arm of the notch, thus strengthening the connection of the guide lug and retaining lug 20 to the body of the bracket. An endgate 22 is mounted in the usual position in contact with the rear vertical faces of the cleats 13, 14 and is spaced at its ends from the inner faces of the side boards 11, 12.

Headed pivots 23, 2 1 are mounted l10l1ZOI1- tally on the upper portion of the rear face of thcendgatc 22 and project beyond the ends of said endgatc through the notches 17, the heads of said pivots engaging the outer faces of the brackets 15,16 and preventing spreading apart of the Sideboards. The inner portions or arms of the notches 17 are inclined inwardly and, when the bottom portion of the endgatc 22 is crowded inwardly against the cleats 13, 1 1, the pivots 23, 2-1 move into the foremost upper portions of said notches and hold the cndgato tightly to said cleats. Straps 25, 26, preferably of metal, are fixed in vertical positions on the inner faces of the side-boards ll, 12 at the rear of and spaced from the plane of the rear face of the cndgate 22. The straps 25, 26 do not equal in thickness the width of the spaces between the Sl(lGb()f1ltlS and ends of the endgate. Thus is provision made for moving the endgatc between the straps 25, 26. Pivots 27 28 are mounted on and extend rearwardly from the cndgate 22 beneath the pivots 23, 24 and latches 29, 30, are pivoted thereon. The latches 29, 30 are of sector form in elevation and are provided with integral handles 31, 32 at angles to the radii of the sectors. The handles 31, 32 terminate in balls 33, 31 serving as weights, acting by gravity, to hold the latches in operative positions. The arc-shaped edges of the latches 29, 30 are adapted to be moved through arcs into engagement with the .t'ront margins of the straps 25, 26 and serve to lock the lower portion of the cndgato snugly to the cleats 13, 1 1 and prevent any outward movement of the endgate.

The endgate may be opened by first releasing the latches 25, 30 from the straps 25, 26 through movement as indicated by the arrows in Fig. l and then moving the bottom of the. endgate outwardly, rearwardly, between said straps and. clear of the bottom 10. In such rearward movement of the endgate, the pivots 23, 24: move downwardly to the bottom of the notches 17 and support the endgate loosely. The endgate may be permitted to hang in inclined position during an operation of dumping the contents of the wagon box, or, it can be turned back on the upper ends of the cleats 13, 14k, or, it can be entirely removed by rearward and upward travel of the pivots 23, 24.- through the openings of the notches 17. It is the function of the retaining lugs 20 to prevent accidental removal of the pivots 23, 2d from the notches and for such reason they are extended abnormally into said notches and across the horizontal plane of the upper ends of the hooks l8.

WVe claim as our. invention In a wagon-box having a bottom, sideboards and cleats on and spaced from the. ends of said side-boards, said side-boards being formed with notches in their rear upper corners, brackets mounted on the side-boards and extending through said notches said brackets being formed with notches opening to the rear ends thereof and also being formed with upstanding hooks partially closing the rear openings of said notches, said brackets also being formed with inclined guide lugs above said hooks and the rear openings of said notches, said brackets also being formed with downwardly projecting retaining lugs at the front of said guide lugs and hooks and projecting below the copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the horizontal planes of the tops of said hooks, the forward arms of said notches being inclined forwardly in front of said retaining lugs, horizontal pivots extending through the notches of said brackets and adapted to be moved rearwardly out of said notches, an endgate suspended on said pivots, and means for securing said endgate in closed position, said pivots being adapted to rest in the forwardly inclined arms of said notches when the endgate is in closed position, andto rest in the rear portions of said notches and be retained by said hooks when the endgate is in open position.

Signed by us at Wayland, Iowa, twelfth day of October, 1912.

FRANCIS L. MORGAN. v LOUIS FUNK.

Witnesses:

H. MAGDEFRAU, A. B. MAGDEFRAU.

Commissioner of Patents.

Washington, D. C.

this i 

